Modern History Conflict in Indochina

How significant was the Tet Offensive in achieving a communist victory in Vietnam by 1975? The Tet Offensive had a major impact upon the outcome of the Second Indochina War, particularly due to the fact that it powerfully swayed public opinion in America of the Vietnam War. The American publics' option of the Vietnam War beforehand had been strongly leaning toward their involvement in favor of conscription. However after the devastating loss of the Tet offensive much exposure was not put onto the war effort and the losses incurred. Many stated that Tet was fruitless and futile, this is also partly due to the fact that there had been increased opposition to the use of conscription in the American mainstream media. Tet was a significant turning point in the war and led to the withdraw of US forces. A combination of political and military factors, including the overall successful strategy of the Viet Cong (VC) and North Vietnamese Army (NVA), the failure of US approach and their severe underestimation, all led to fall of Saigon by the NVA and VC on 30th April, 1975. The RVN had been a corrupt, incompetent government whose anti-communist stance had been fostered by the US. The US had injected billions of dollars in RVN infrastructure and the ARVN, and the following of the 1964 Tonkin Gulf Resolution began fighting on the RVNs behalf. The US was technically superior to the VC, ultising heavy bombers, helicopters and advanced weaponry the VC could not match. With this in mind, however the US made a series of military mistakes. One of the most crucial was to send its own people into the war. Their strategy was also one of attrition, to be achieved by conventional warfare, believing to be confronted with such devastating losses and the NLF would be forced to surrender. As stated by David Chandler ‘the Second Indochina War was a war that the United States could never won' Similarly, the “Winning Hearts and Minds”

Bibliography: 1. Bradley, M.P. (2009). Vietnam at War University Press, New York, New York. Containing the sources: P. 167 Price, R. (1977) with Nixon. Viking Press, New York. P.112 2. Brawley, S. (2005). Conflict in Indochina: 1954-1979. Cambridge University Press, Port Melbourne, Victoria.